Yang Yonglin

Yang Yonglin (1854 - 1895) was a Chinese naval officer of the late Qing dynasty. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he was the captain of one of China's foreign-built ironclads, the Zhenyuan. Yang committed suicide after it accidentally ran aground and refused to sign a surrender to Japan. He was posthumously promoted to admiral.

Biography
Yang was born in the Fujian province of China in 1854. In 1870, he joined the Qing navy and served aboard a gunboat. His shipmates noted Yang to be a hard and dedicated worker, and became a skilled navigator. He was promoted to chief gunnery officer of the gunboat Zhenwei. In 1879, he was transferred to the Beiyang Fleet and held a number of command positions on gunboats. He traveled to the United Kingdom with his superior, Admiral Ding Ruchang, in 1880 where they learned from the Royal Navy.

In 1885, Yang rose to command the Zhenyuan. He got the attention of Li Hongzhang, who considered him to be a competent officer and had him promoted.

Yang took part in the Battle of the Yalu River in September 1894, early on during the First Sino-Japanese War, where he performed well, though the Beiyang Fleet was defeated. The Zhenyuan later ran aground near the port of Weihai, the main base of the fleet. Later, rather than sign a capitulation to the Japanese, he shot himself with a pistol. He and several other officers that committed suicide were returned to China by Japanese, who viewed his final act to be honorable under their Bushido code.

Personal life
Yang was known to be a hard worker and was always looking to learn. The British officers serving as instructors for Chinese cadets gave Yang a high evaluation. He also had the respect of his men due to being very caring to his subordinates. Despite the hardships of living in China, he was a Qing loyalist and was determined to fight against Japan during the war.